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Barnabas

A Cypriot and a Levite who, on becoming a Christian, generously disposed of his real estate (Acts 4: 36–7) and was instrumental in persuading Paul to come to Antioch (Acts 11: 25–6). Subsequently, Paul and Barnabas travelled together, accompanied by John Mark, a relative of Barnabas, and they are both reported to be at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15: 2; 12). A quarrel, however, ended the partnership; according to Acts 15: 38 this was because Paul doubted the reliability of Mark whom Barnabas again wanted with them, though the reason may well have
been that Barnabas had sided with Peter against Paul in the confrontation at Antioch about sharing a common table with Gentiles (Gal. 2: 13), which was a scene that the author of Acts probably found resistant to his theme of ecclesiastical harmony. However, Paul
(or whoever wrote the epistle to the Colossians) has a friendly reference later to Mark and Barnabas (Col. 4: 10).